There is no such thing as subtlety in Palm Beach – and Royal Palm finally stopped pretending that was the case. Returning for its highly anticipated second season this month, the Apple TV series is funnier, faster and much more dangerous than before. Of course, it’s still an opulent fever dream about the showrunner’s ambition and social survival. Abe Sylviabut this time, each maniacal smile hides even sharper teeth. The last time we saw Kristen WiigThanks to social climber Maxine Dellacorte’s striking performance, she had her life blown up at the now infamous Beach Ball. Stripped of his status, his marriage, and most of his illusions (now delusions), if you think public humiliation will stop him in Season 2, you haven’t been paying attention.
With an immediate difference from last year’s tone and introduction, Sylvia takes a more confident direction this time with a more deliberate pace. For starters, there’s even a musical number straight out of an MGM musical that’s equally dazzling, deranged, and a stylish way to peek into Maxine’s psyche in Technicolor. The sequence is hilarious, destabilizing, but also sets the tone for a season that never stops dancing on the edge of rupture. No longer just wink at its nonsense or camp drama, the series embraces every aspect of its self-aware comedy as a survival strategy It’s so over the top and fun.
What is “Palm Royale” season 2 about?
Set in sunny Palm Beach luxury of the late 1960s, Royal Palm follows a group of women who run its cocktail-fueled hierarchy — and those who still believe they can do it. While Maxine (Wiig) remains the show’s most endearing and chaotic heartbeat, the second season really broadens the lens with each of its characters. Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janney) realizes that power and solitude often come in the same shade of green, while the series’ power matriarch, Norma Dellacorte (Carole Burnett) reappears, regal and merciless. Always the icon, Burnett is so deliciously set up to remind everyone that their secrets are the real currency from Palm Beach. Naturally, this makes her play a rather dangerous puppet master with just about everyone this season.
In the meantime, Laura DernLinda’s turns her political awakening into a literal prison sentence — and perhaps a release that fits her vibe. But it is Kaia GerberIt’s the heavily pregnant Mitzi who quietly becomes the most strategic person in the room. With Douglas (Josh Lucas) at his side, both are total enigmas, even if the latter is perpetually torn between love for his ex, Maxine, and ambition. You can’t really root for him, but you also can’t look away from his next moves. But one of the best arcs of this season belongs to Ricky MartinIt is Robert who embodies the quiet soul at the center of the series. His story carries a new dimension as he attempts to navigate a moral compass in a place where everyone is seeking status.
Without giving too much away, like this is a season full of spoilers with twists and turns in every episodethe series walks a clear line between comedy and real tension. There’s fanciful absurdity at every turn, but the jokes are harder to understand because they’re rooted in the misery of its characters — and you really see it this time around with just about everyone. Beneath the pearls and politeness, these women fight for power in a patriarchy that determines their worth. With its bright, textured backdrop for a satire on the American dream, the rhythm of all these arcs unfolds this year. Everyone plays, but the fun through its 10 episodes is watching which mask slips first.
The writing of Palm Royale is finally falling into place
Visually, Royal Palm East one of the most breathtaking shows on television. Having grown up with the luxurious comedies of the 1960s like Lover, come back Or Come Septemberits overall aesthetic takes up these same classics. Mix the style of Slim Aarons with Hint for a setting that gives the impression of being lived in, the series has found its rhythm with a comedy that lands stronger and an emotion that invades you.
But if Season 1 was a wild adventure of traitors and schemers, Season 2 throws it all into a blender for secret dealings, double lives, and old grudges adorned with couture. As new alliances form while old ones fade, each episode builds brilliantly on the last.. One of the most exciting aspects of this season is how we’re seeing more interactions with characters we wouldn’t have thought we’d pair up. It is from this combination that results a perfect zany clarity in the dialogues and sequences, like Perry’s scenes (Bridges of Jordan) and that of Dinah (Leslie Bibb) house with Douglas and Mitzi, or the bizarre session held by Mary (Julia Duffy) for Evelyn and Maxine.
This type of writing leaves room for smaller, more human moments that really add weight to the series, like Maxine’s fleeting guilt after a selfish action or Robert carrying secrets too heavy for the polite air of Palm Beach. Self-aware and elegant without being flashy, it never cuts itself short and also manages a brisk pace. Last year, there were some issues with this dipping pace in places, but that’s been replaced by stronger, more cohesive storytelling that knows when to stop for a moment of chaos or heartbreak.
“The cast of Palm Royale is one of the best ensembles on television
It’s no surprise that Wiig remains the series’ MVP. Maxine is still pretty delusional in some of the best and most charming ways. But there’s a new edge to her this season that borders on exhausting beneath that exterior. She wants what’s hers, and it’s final. Look Wiig’s act between comedy and tragedy is incredible and absolutely grippingas you see how much she deepens this character. It’s its consistent quality that also makes you think it’s still active.
Meanwhile, Janney turns Evelyn into the show’s biggest contradiction. She is pragmatic but emotional, but also cruel and deeply funny. Some of the greatest joys of watching this season have come from the scenes she and Wiig share as two women pretending to hate each other but clearly bonded by mutual survival instincts. Their chemistry has brilliantly moved from confrontational to conspiratorial, and it’s incredibly exciting to watch.
Of course, Burnett deserves her own crown as Norma. Freed from the coma of Season 1, she bursts into every scene with a twinkle that says, “Hey, I might ruin you, but you’ll thank me for it.” Throughout the season, Burnett makes Norma both terrifying and strangely sympathetic, as we don’t really know her motivations, but it’s in this space that we get a captivating performance. The three women are supported by Linda, Dern’s director (whom we wish we had more to do this season); Gerber, whose character Mitzi really comes into her own by manipulating her supposed innocence like a weapon; and Martin, who brings Robert a strong heart and restraint. His role this season becomes really poignant in unexpected ways and really stands out among the supporting cast.
While Lucas’ character Douglas does a lot more this season and hones his rich boy charm in scenes with Wiig, Gerber (and even with Bridges and Bibb in some of the funniest scenes), John Stamos And Patti LuPone also join the cast. The latter is chaos incarnate, stealing every scene she’s in. Her turn as Marjorie Merriweather Post is as extra as it comes – part Broadway, part Bond villain, but all in all fun. Luckily, the show is completely leaning into it, and it’s the right decision as we get to the finish line.
With an ensemble that is one of the best on television, it’s rare for a series like this to level up between seasons. As more and more characters help expand the universe, it’s as if the pacing issues have disappeared and have now evolved into something richer: a study in how people rebuild themselves after the masks are broken. It is this aspect that allows the sharper humor to hit harder while anchoring the emotional issues. Never missing a beat of his comedy and his heart, Royal Palm is proof that when the claws come out, so does the best in the series.
- Release date
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March 19, 2024
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Writers
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Abe Sylvia
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Carole Burnett
Norma Dellacorte
- Kristen Wiig and Allison Janney deliver sharp, layered performances that balance high comedy with genuine emotional depth throughout.
- The pacing finally clicks this season, transforming last year’s slow burns into fast-paced, addictive storytelling that never loses momentum.
- Each image dazzles with lush 1960s design, bold color palettes, and fashion that perfectly matches the heightened absurdity of the series.
- Laura Dern’s Linda has some standout moments but too little screen time for a character who seems vital to the pulse of the series.
- The constant twists and turns could risk overloading the series’ best emotional beats.
